June 13, 2016, "Does the US still need Saudi Arabia?"
"UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon revealed Saudi Arabia had pressured him to drop the country from a blacklist over child casualties in Yemen, a war that the US has tacitly supported.
Riyadh threatened to cut off all funding to the UN and issue a fatwa against the world body, prompting outrage from international human rights organisations.
If the kingdom has had to cut back on its chequebook diplomacy because of the oil prices slump, it can still deploy its wealth as political pressure and tout its plans for reform to weave a more positive narrative about what Saudi Arabia has to offer....
The kingdom's foreign policy has become increasingly activist, with devastating consequences for neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition says Iran is backing Houthi rebels. Last year [2015], Saudi Arabia became the world's largest military spender. President Obama may have harsh words for the Saudis, but his actions tell a different story
In 2010, the Obama administration authorised weapon sales of up to $60bn to Saudi Arabia. Since then, the administration has concluded deals for nearly $48bn in sales - triple the total amount under the George W Bush administration."...
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6/8/2016, "Saudi Arabia Threatens to Cut UN Funding over Blacklisting: Sources," Alalam News
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